A group exhibition of sculpture by Drew Middlebrook, Randy McCoy, J. Graham Ross, Iris Stevenson, Mascha Kronlein, Daniel Kelly, Denise Barry, Phil Naranjo, Phillip Endicott, Greg Lundgren, Tina LaPlant, Holly, Katie Kurtz, Wynn Burke, Leiv Fagereng, Mark Anderson, Ruth Ann Naranjo, Jennifer Lundgren, Shea Baja, Adria Pauli, Heather Heart, Pippa Arend, Matt Deschler, Klaas Langhout, Gary Thomas, Brandi Morang, Jennifer Adams, Cole Quinn

Curated by Greg Lundgren

This group show of more than 50 regional artists challenged this distinction between sculpture and furniture, removing the function from a traditional design and forcing it into the realm of art. What is a chair that cannot be sat on? If a chair is useless, dangerous or broken, is it useless, or is it sculpture? By the level of creativity and craftsmanship presented, it became apparent that we were dealing with a curious hybrid that blurred the lines between design and art.

The definition of a dysfunctional chair was outlined as meeting at least one of three parameters: 1) The chair is impossible to sit on. 2) The chair could cause serious injury to a person attempting to sit down on it. 3) The chair would collapse under the weight of an average person. The results ranged from the dangerous (flames, broken glass, nails, falling bricks) to the impossible (miniature, projected, spring loaded) and all points in between. Partitioned out by rope stantions, we were lucky no one caught on fire, got cut, or lost their hearing in the sonic boom chair. The diversity of the chairs was only matched by the diversity of the artists involved; and while the employees of Herman Miller may have winced, it remains to date one of the most memorable exhibits we produced at Vital 5.